In general, upon printing of a document, an image, and the like that are created on a computer, printing data in a predetermined PDL (Page Description Language) is generated and a printing instruction is made by outputting the printing data to a printer. The printer analyzes the printing data by means of a PDL analysis unit (printing data processing device) and can output by printing through an image forming process (process of forming an image) and the like.
As a PDL used for printing data, PostScript and PCL (Printer Control Language) have been predominant. However, in recent years, PDF (Portable Document Format) which is an electronic document format, HTML (HyperText Markup Language) and XML (Extensible Markup Language) which are markup languages, as well as XPS (XML Paper Specification) which is a new electronic document format are used.
In such a situation with various PDLs, a plurality of PDL analysis units corresponding to respective PDLs should be provided and switched according to the PDL of the printing data.
Switching of the PDL analysis unit has been realized either automatically based on printing data, or through emulation by setting the PDL of a printer main body from an operation panel.
However, in a case of setting the PDL of a printer main body from an operation panel, analyzable PDLs are fixed. Printing data in other PDLs causes an analysis error.
In a case of such an analysis error, a garbage output is caused. A garbage output is printing of information in the printing data as a text. As the PDL analysis unit analyzes the printing data to the end, a huge amount of the garbage output tends to be made.
In order to address this, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of switching to another PDL analysis unit in a case of an error in any of a plurality of PDL analysis units.
However, this technique cannot be applied to a case in which the PDL analysis unit is fixed. In other words, this technique has a problem of not being able to suppress output of error pages such as garbage output without switching the PDL analysis unit.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-280839